Jest available cop



June 28 1927.

1,633,955 D. G. ROBINSON ELECTRICAL FUSE Filed April 7, 1925 Patented June 28, 1927.

UNETED STATES DOUGLAS GWYN ROBINSON, OF \VEYMOU'I ENGLAND. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM SHERIDAN COLLINS. OF LONDON ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL FUSE.

Application filed April 7. 1925, Serial No. 21.280. and in Great Britain April 10, 1924.

This invention has reference to electrical fuse wire carriers for use with fuse bases of the cartridge or spring-clip type and is more particularly intended for use upon automobiles.

Hitherto it has been customary to supply fuse wires for certain electrical systems in glass cylinders with fired metal caps, electrically connected to the ends of the enclo ed fuse wire. the said caps being engaged by suitable spring-clips upon a base or bracket. By reason of the variation in the sizes and distances apart of the spring-clips for different makes of lighting sets. it has been 5 necessary for retailers to stock a compar.

tively large number of different sized glass cylinders containing the fuses for replacements.

The present invention hasfor obiect to provide an adjustable fuse wire arrier which can he. used in almost all spring-clips of this type in currentuse. which carrier in addition contains sutlicient reserve of fuse wire to enable the fuse to be quickly replaced when necessary. Thus a single model according to the present invention replaces a number of carriers of differentsizes as 'required for different electric lighting sets.

According to the present invention. I provide an insulator body with split metal collars, hoops or the like slidable thereon and adapted to engage or press upon a piece of fuse wire arranged longitudinally of the insulator body. The collars or sliders may be Split transversely or circumferentially. so as to exert a constrictive action in order to grip the fuse wire on the exterior of the insulator body. These collars or sliders also act as the fuse terminals. Means are also provided for holding the ends of the wire to maintain the latter in position while the c0llars are being slid into place.

Upon the accompanying sheet of drawlngs:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front elevation, and a side elevation partly in section, of a fuse wire carrier, according to one form of the invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are side elevations of the same fuse carrier fitted to different brackets. the collars being adjusted to suit the different spacing of the spring clips upon the brackets.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified insulator body.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of another form of insulator body having an internal storage chamber for spare fuse wire.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a further modication in which the fuse wire is sunk in a longitudinal recess in the insulator.

Figure 11 shows a hollow body with the fuse wire passing longitudinally therethrough.

The insulator body a of the fuse carrier is preferably of elongate cylindrical shape and may be made of vulcanite, vulcanized fibre. porcelain or other suitable material- Detachable spring metal collars or sliders I) of split circular shape, movable along the body a. press upon and electrically enga e the fuse wire a which is arranged longitu inally and externally of the insulator body a, the sliders 7) slippedupon the opposite ends of the body a. exercising a constrictive action.

so as to holdthe said wire and insulator body firmly together. These sliders b notonly make direct contact with the externally arranged wire a, but also clamp the wire 0 against the body a, and serve as the fuse termi nals. The ends'of the wire-c are also held fast by means hereafter described, whilst the collars b are adjusted iii-position.

-The fuse wire-'0 may be'seated for part of its length in a longitudinal groove or grooves 11 in the insulator body a, but remains always in electricalcontact-with the spring collars or sliders 7:; whichare engaged electrically by the spring-clips e of the usual base or bracket (see Figures 3 and 4).

The sliding members 6 enable the effective length of the fuse carrier to be adjusted and varied to fit the clips e upon the fuse-bases 0? different lengths. where the terminals or clips vary in their distances apart; see F igures 3 and 4.

The "insulator body a is preferably recessed intermediate of its length as at a, to allow for the heating of the fuse wire 0 and to provide for its expansion and contraction, the wire being cranked or bent into the recess. as shown.

The insulator body a may be provided at its opposite ends with projecting terminal screws f as shown in Figures 1-5, the ends of the fuse wire 0 being wound round these screws for the purpose of mechanically se- Oil curing the wire (I in position on the insulator body (a independently of the sprig collars or sliders. Thus during the removal or replacement of the collars b, the wire c is prevented from falling away from the insulator bi dy, or from being dislodged from its correct position.

-'lhe coiled ends of the fuse wire 0, wound upon the screws f, are of sufficient length to form a; reserve-of \virecarried by or upon the insulator body a.

In the modification shown in Figure 6, the insulator body a is provided with integral headed necks a, the ends of the length of fuse wine being-coiled or looped mound said necks in such a. way as to-be outside and away from the collars b. 1

. .In. another modification, .see Figure 7, the insulator-body a may be made hollow, the interior chamber 0'; serving to contain one or more loops or lengths of fuse wire protected if desired by insulating blocks or pads j located in the bore of the chamber i, the hol lowiends of the bone being-closed by screws f or like. The chamber ineed not extend completely through the body a, and in such a lieaded neck such as a may be formed at one end of the body and a, terminal screw 7' fitted at the other end of the body to close the open end of the chamber, the neck and screw respectively serving for the anchorage of the ends of the fuse'wiue actually in use.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 8 to 10, the insulator body a is cylindrical in shape with a, iongit-udinal groove 9 adapted to receive the inwardly cranked ends I) of split inetaloollaas b which thus conform to the shape of the periphery of the body a;

each oft-hose splitcollars is slida-ble upon the cylindricalbody, the fuse wire being gripped between the inwardly turned ends I) of the two collars so as to be enclosed in the groove -g entending longitudinally of the insulator.

Adhere the insulator body is made hollow, the fuse wire may, as shown in Figure 11, extend longitudinally through the bore i in the :insulator 11, its projecting ends being turned over on the exterior where they are engaged by lodkingscvervs .h arranged intermediate of the two sliding collars b. Thus the sliding collars make contact with those portions of the wire c leading from the open ends of the body a to the set-screws h on the exterior of the same. In this case the sliders Z) are shown formed as helical spring coils to provide the-constrictive spri-ng'grip without any tweak in continuity circumfe'rentially.

'lhe split spring sliders by their constrictive autism automatically retain their position aftcr adjustment and provide sufiieicnt en'c-ssurc upon the fuse wire to ensure sound 'cilcotrical contact therewith while themselves making contact with the spring-clips or arms of the fuse base lZ v meaus-olf this invention a blown fuse can be quickly rcplaccd; aftcr unwinding the reserve wire stored in or upon the carrier, the wire can be drawn out to the required LXiJilt and cngagcd with the two sliders, for the purpose of repairing the fuse. 'lhe fuse carrier is quickly adjustable to suit the length of the lmsc on a given switch board, and any ordinary gauge fuse wire can be employed. Moreover, the fuse carrier can be speedily fitted when required with a fresh supply of spare fuse wire.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:-

l. In an electrical fuse, the combination of spring contact clips, an insulator body, a fuse wire arranged upon the exterior of said body and metal chunping members slidably arranged upon said body, said clamping members pressing said fuse .wire against said insulator body and being detachahly engage-able in said spring contact clips, said clamping members being adjustable longitudinally of said insulator-body to correspond with the distance between said spring contact clips.

2. An electrical fuse, comprising an insulator body, a fuse wire arranged esternally of said body, a pair of variably interspaced metal sliders mounted upon said body and constrictively acting .upon said fuse wire, said sliders forming the fuse terminals; and means for anchoring the extremities of said fuse wine to said insulator body.

An electrical fuse, comprising' .an clongated insulator body, said body being grooved exter-iorly; a leiwth of fuse wire carried upon said body arranged in the grooved portion of said body; anda )air of metal slide-rs fitting upon said but y and having means for making contact with said fuse wire in said groove, said sliders being adjustable as to distance apart and acting as the fuse terminals.

L An electrical fuse, comprising an insulator body; a fuse wire arranged externally of said body; variably intcrspaccd .metafl clamping members slidably arranged upon said body, said slidable membeis pressing directly upon the fuse wire and acting as the fuse terminals; and means for holding the fuse wire in place .upon said body whilst the sl-ida-ble members are being moved therealong.

An e'lectricalf-use comprising an insulator body; a fuse wire arranged externally of said body; variably interspaoed metal- -clamping members .slidably arranged upon said body, said slid-able members making electrical contact with said fuse wire and serving also as the fuse terminals: and means for carrying a reserve supply of fuse wire upon said insulator body.

6. .An electrical fuse of the cartridge type, comprising an insulator body, metal sliders fitting upon said body, said sliders adjustable longitudinally of said body, a fuse apart longitudinally of said insulator to wire arranged along said body and a pair suit the spacing of said spring clips, a fuse of screws engaged in opposite ends of said wire arranged along said insulator and body, the extremities of said fuse wire passing beneath said sliders, means for a being wound upon said screws. anchoring said fuse wire to said insulator 7. In combination with an electrical fuse independently of said sliders, and means holder having interspaced spring clips, 21 for carrying a reserve supply of fuse wire cartridge fuse comprising an insulator, upon said insulator. metal sliders fitting upon said insulator, In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

10 said sliders being adjustable as to distance DOUGLAS GWYN ROBINSON. 

